Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various types of communication content such as voice, data, and other media. These systems may be multiple-access systems capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing the available system resources (e.g., bandwidth and transmit power). Examples of such multiple-access systems include code division multiple access (CDMA) systems, time division multiple access (TDMA) systems, frequency division multiple access (FDMA) systems, 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems, and orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) systems.
Cellular networks, such as LTE, can allow a device to connect to or communicate with other devices. Modern LTE networks can include both large and small cells configured in a Heterogeneous Network (HetNet) configuration. The base stations (e.g., Enhanced Node Bs (eNodeBs)) of large and small cells can be configured to operate on different frequency bands. Frequency bands, i.e. spectrum, adequate for the various types of communication content must be available to a base station for a device to connect to, or communicate with, other devices.
Traditionally, additional frequencies can only be allocated to network operators when needed through Licensed Shared Access (LSA) of already licensed dedicated spectrums by their owners. While on one hand there is a severe licensed dedicated spectrum scarcity for mobile operators, spectrum utilization measurements worldwide show that the available unlicensed spectrum is greatly underutilized, particularly in frequency bands suitable for mobile services. Dynamic sharing of unlicensed spectrum such as white spaces and Ultra Wide Band (UWB) typically used for Wi-H is a new option in the range of solutions for increasing available spectrum to mobile operators. A key factor underlying this trend is the existence of substantial amounts of underutilized spectrum which cannot be easily repurposed for traditional exclusive licensing by operators. Thus, in order to realize the full benefit of proposed dynamic frequency sharing systems, there is now a need for a dynamic framework capable of operating across the full continuum of frequency sharing scenarios such that any reasonable amount of spectrum that is available for any feasible duration can be allocated for dynamic sharing with cellular network operators.